Local

For many in Lancaster County, supporting the annual Ward Faulkenberry Memorial Christmas Basket fund has become a custom each holiday season.

“What’s so special is those who, year after year, step up to help and honor and remember their loved ones for a great cause,” said Elaine Adkins, executive director of HOPE (Helping Other People Effectively), which oversees the effort.

Adkins cited a recent donation to the fund that provides food for hurting families each Christmas season as an example. The drive is in its 53rd year.

It’s been five days now since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., left 20 children and six educators dead, news that struck the nation like a slap in the face.

Until Friday, Dec. 14, many Americans had become numb to news of mass shootings; shock and sadness, at first, quickly pushed to the back of the nation’s collective mind in a fatigued response to an all-too common crime.

But this was different, a crime of unimaginable evil in a place assumed to be among the last truly safe institutions in society.

The American flag is flying at half-staff until sunset Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012, as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012.

Nancy Parsons
Landmark News Service
Dillon Pearson, 15, had a wish come true.
A Clemson Tigers fan, Dillon wanted to attend a Carolina/Clemson game at Frank Howard Field at Memorial Stadium in Clemson.
Dillon spent Nov. 24 at Death Valley with his father, Mike Pearson Jr.
A sports enthusiast, Dillon has been diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare inherited disease that causes nervous system damage and movement problems. It usually begins in childhood and leads to impaired muscle coordination that worsens over time.